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How can you spot human trafficking? Florida nonprofits, law enforcement, prosecutors explain

TCPalm
Published 2:23 p.m. ET Jan. 10, 2020

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There are several warning signs for human trafficking, including poor physical and mental health, a lack of control over their lives and harsh working conditions. If you see any of these signs, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

In early 2019, law enforcement linked several prostitution busts at Florida spas to Chinese sex traffickers.

In March, Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc organized a meeting of experts from a nonprofit, local and federal law enforcement and the 19th Circuit State Attorney's Office to share their insights and take questions from a community rattled by 173 arrests and the realization that human traffickers may be living or working in their neighborhoods.

What are the signs?

Look for behavioral clues in potential victims, according to the Department of Homeland Security, represented at the Vero Beach meeting by local agent in charge, Daniel Ruiz.

A victim might:

• Act fearful, submissive, anxious, depressed, tense or paranoid

• Let another person speak for them

• Display physical signs of abuse

• Be deprived of food, water, sleep or medical care

• Have few or no personal possessions

• Be isolated, unable to socialize or move about freely

• Work excessively long or unusual hours

• Not have control of their documents when traveling

'See something, say something'

Jamie Bond works for Place of Hope, which provides foster services in the Treasure Coast and South Florida. She warned not all these signs definitively mean human trafficking, but it's nonetheless important to be educated and vigilant.

"There's that old adage, 'See something, say something.' But if you don't know what you're seeing, you can't say something," Bond said.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said the state ranks high in human trafficking awareness. Moody's office encourages people to report suspicions to 911, local authorities, trafficking hotlines or to text HELP to BEFREE.

Who are the victims?

Worldwide, 20 million to 40 million people are estimated to be victims of human trafficking, according to Laura Cusack, who also works for Place of Hope.

Victims can be young or old, male or female, and from any socioeconomic background.

Bond said they've worked with local victims between the ages of 10 and 25.

And it's not just sex slavery. There also is labor trafficking, appearing most frequently in domestic servitude, agricultural work and restaurant jobs.

"Working in a private home, working out in the fields, working in the back of a restaurant or a hotel. Very isolated places where their interaction with the public is very limited," Cusack noted.

In the light of the Florida spa raids, which attracted international attention after billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was revealed to be one of the nearly 300 accused "johns," some worry trafficking will be reduced to a single narrative.

"One thing we don't want people to do is say, 'Well that's what it looks like,'" said Indian River County Sheriff's Maj. Eric Flowers. "It can happen in an instant to someone that you know, someone that you love."

How do they get away with it?

Human traffickers have a variety of ways to control and groom victims, according to Cusack.

• Force: Someone may be beaten, raped or have a gun put to their head.

• Fraud: Traffickers lie to lure vulnerable people, like new immigrants, runaway children or aspiring models.

• Coercion: Taking the time to get to know and support a person during desperate times can lead to "trauma bonding," which sets in motion a dangerous cycle.

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Law enforcement and prosecutors explain the difficulties in bringing charges - and the hurdles in convicting traffickers.
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These tactics can cause serious bewilderment.

"Many times, a victim of human trafficking will not recognize they’re a victim. They feel like maybe, 'This is the agreement. This is how I get my drugs. This is how I pay my rent,'" Cusack said. "Or maybe they've come from such an abusive background that being trafficked doesn't feel much different than the trauma and the abuse they've experienced growing up."

Cusack recalled a story about a man twice offering a young homeless woman a free meal at McDonald's. The second time, he gave her his card in case she ever needed help.

A couple of weeks later, still on the streets, she ran into trouble and called him.

"He could have kidnapped her. He could have made a move on her. He could have done something to hurt her. But he didn't, because he knew, 'If I just plant that seed, I can sit back and wait and she'll come to me,'" she said.

"'Because now, throughout the breadth of our relationship — I can abuse her, I can exploit her, but I can always say, 'Yeah, but you came to me.''"

What happens to the victims?

There are special visas that exist for victims of human trafficking and witness protection programs, but there's a catch.

"Anytime we have a victim … We try and find immigration relief, as long as they're cooperating with law enforcement," Ruiz said.

However, law enforcement is not always able to get victims on its side, said Sgt. Ross Partee, who in 2014 investigated the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office’s first case that led to a human trafficking conviction.

Partee recalled another case, in which he waited for hours to bust in the door of a hotel room where a 33-year-old man was inside with a 17-year-old who he had badly beaten earlier.

All she told him? "I don’t know him," and the drugs inside were hers, Partee said.

"It was very clear to me that she had been conditioned, repeatedly conditioned that that was going to be her response," he said.